Survival Codex press kit
Press kit · updated 7 October 2026
A sealed, sunlight-readable e-ink library that keeps working when the phone and the grid do not.
About Survival Codex
Survival Codex is a sealed e-ink reference library for the day the phone, the network or the power goes down. It holds official survival manuals, a selected Wikipedia layer, maps of your own region, classic literature and your own documents, readable in full sunlight and with the power off. It is designed in Copenhagen by Better Objects and ships in June 2027.
Most of what people would need in an emergency, from purifying water to treating a wound or finding their way, already exists in good public reference work. The problem is that it lives on a phone that needs a charge and a signal.
Survival Codex puts that knowledge on a device built to wait in a bag. It has a 4.26 inch, 480 by 800 e-ink screen that is readable in sunlight and holds its page with the power off, a sealed case with no hatch, and a battery of about 14.8 watt-hours charged over USB-C. It works fully offline and updates its library over Wi-Fi or USB-C.
The library combines four sources in one index: official manuals from the US Army, FEMA and CDC; more than 16,000 selected Wikipedia articles; maps of your region; and The Shelf, a set of classic literature. Owners can add their own documents.
Fact sheet
| Product | Survival Codex SC-01, sealed e-ink reference library |
| Display | 4.26 inch e-ink, 480 × 800, 219 PPI, sunlight-readable |
| Library | Official manuals (US Army, FEMA, CDC) · 16,000+ selected Wikipedia articles · maps of your region · The Shelf (classic literature) · your own documents |
| Power | About 14.8 Wh battery, USB-C |
| Connectivity | Works offline; updates over Wi-Fi or USB-C |
| Build | Sealed case, one gasket, no hatch; touchscreen and two page keys |
| Size | About 88 × 134 × 21 mm, 187 g (pre-production estimate) |
| Price | $249 pre-launch (expected $340 at launch), free tracked shipping |
| Status | Pre-order. Ships June 2027 (estimate). Cancel any time before it ships. |
| Designed by | Better Objects, Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Where | survivalcodex.com |
Announcement
Survival Codex: a sealed e-ink library for when the phone and the grid go down
Copenhagen, 7 October 2026
Better Objects, a Copenhagen design company with seven funded crowdfunding campaigns behind it, has opened pre-orders for Survival Codex, a sealed, sunlight-readable e-ink reference library designed to keep working through power cuts, storms and lost signal. It ships in June 2027.
“I wanted something that truly replaced your phone in an emergency situation,” says Nicolas Aagaard, co-founder of Better Objects.
Survival Codex carries official survival guidance from the US Army, FEMA and CDC, more than 16,000 selected Wikipedia articles, maps of the owner's region and a shelf of classic literature, all in one index. Its 4.26 inch e-ink screen reads in direct sunlight and holds its page with the power off; it works fully offline and updates over Wi-Fi or USB-C.
Survival Codex is available to pre-order at survivalcodex.com for $249, against an expected price of $340 at launch, with free tracked shipping. Pre-orders can be cancelled any time before the device ships.
Ends. Press contact: hello@better-objects.com
Story angles
When the grid goes down
Outages, wildfires and storms are more frequent, and the phone is the first thing to fail. What would you want to read with no power and no signal?
The public library of survival
The best survival guidance is already public, from US Army field manuals to CDC guidance. Survival Codex gathers it into one offline index.
A device that does one thing
No apps, no feed, no notifications: a reference library built to wait in a bag and work the day it is needed.
Images
Renders of the pre-production design; screens are the real 4-grey layouts. Free to use with coverage of Survival Codex; please credit Survival Codex. Click an image for the full-size file.
Render · 2048px
Render · 1856px
Render · 1856px
Render · 1856px
Render · 1856px
Render · 1856px
Render · 1856px
Render · 1856px
Render · 1600px
Render · 1600px
Render · 1600px
Render · 1600px
Screen · 960px
Screen · 960px
Screen · 960px
Screen · 960px
Screen · 960px
Photo · 2210px
Photo · 1200px
Photo · 1200px
Photo · 3000px
Logo · 1024px
About the makers
Better Objects is a design company in Copenhagen, Denmark, that creates and launches new product brands. Founded by Isabel Aagaard, Nicolas Aagaard and Kåre Frandsen, it has run seven funded crowdfunding campaigns backed by more than 60,000 people.
Isabel Aagaard
Co-founder and designer
Isabel designed medical products before co-founding the company, and holds a Master's in Collaborative Design from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
Nicolas Aagaard
Co-founder and Chief Design Officer
Nicolas studied Furniture Design at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and Economics at Copenhagen Business School, and leads every product from first sketch to production.
Kåre Frandsen
Co-founder
Kåre co-founded the company with Isabel and Nicolas in Copenhagen in 2016.
Questions journalists ask
Is there a device I can review?
Not yet. Survival Codex is in development and ships in June 2027. Write to hello@better-objects.com to be first in line for a pre-production unit.
Are the images photographs?
No. They are renders of the pre-production design, with real screen layouts drawn for the 4-grey e-ink panel. Final hardware may differ.
Who writes the content?
The library is gathered from named public sources: official manuals, Wikipedia, open map data and public-domain books. We add an index and reading guides; we do not rewrite the source text. Survival Codex is not affiliated with or endorsed by the US Army, FEMA or CDC.
What can readers try today?
The free Grid-Down Field Guide and the online Library at survivalcodex.com/pages/library carry some of the same official guidance.
Pre-production product. Figures are rounded and correct on 7 October 2026.